Photos: Where the building is the network

Workers also can use the online system to track their onsite schedules. The buildings are designed to manage up to 20 hours of work each day, but Echelon encourages telecommuting. If someone comes to work on Saturday, sensors will detect the worker's presence. Even on a hot weekend, however, that won't trigger the air conditioning to reach weekday levels because the employee isn't supposed to be there.

Photo by Elsa Wenzel/CNET Networks

Caption by Elsa Wenzel